Isaiah 7:14 Therefore The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation -- God becoming flesh, revealing Himself to us, identifying with us, giving Himself for us.
JESUS WAS:
- Born in a stable, not a mansion, that He might identify with the homeless of our world.
- Born in Bethlehem, the house of bread, not in Athens, that He might identify with the hungry masses.
- Grew up in the home of a carpenter rather than the home of Caesar, that He might identify with the working class.
- Born a Jew and not a Greek, that He might identify with the oppressed, the despised, and the rejected.
- Born and reared at the crossroads of the world that touches Asia, Africa, and Europe, because He belonged to the whole world.
- Died on a cross and not in a hospital, that He might identify with suffering of the world.
On the very first Christmas, earth was not aware of what was transpiring in heaven. As an innumerable company of Angels were waiting to worship the newborn king, a farewell was going on in heaven between God the Father and God the Son.
Hebrews 10:4-7 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body has thou prepared me . . . Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.
God prepared a body for Christ that would be the divine instrument to bring God to men and men to God. And so Jesus Christ bid farewell to the Father to begin a journey that was to end thirty-three years later on a cross.
Bethlehem happened so Calvery could happen.
Why was Jesus born? Jesus came to be our substitute, our salvation's Author, our sanctifier, our Satan's conqueror, and our sympathetic High Priest.
Glory to God in the highest!
(From a message by Jeff Swart)
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. You make your wish list, never sure of what you'll find after ripping off the paper. Ah, the anticipation of unwrapping the unknown.
I want to tell you about a gift that is different than any placed under a tree. It takes a lifetime to unwrap -- ever giving. Though it has enormous value, it is free. It saves people from their sins. It's instant. This gift is received upon repentance of sin and accepting Christ as your personal Saviour. It makes you a child of God. forever.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS, for He shall save his people from their sins.
The gift of Jesus Christ gives eternal life. Thank you, Lord, for my salvation.
When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem they found the city overflowing with people who had come to register for the census. Because the inns were full, they had no place to stay.
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The innkeeper missed Christmas because he was too busy caring for the guests. He really wasn't hostle toward Mary and Joseph or unloving or unsympathetic or indifferent. He was just too busy.
Many people today are so busy living their lives that they don't consider eternity. This is especially true during the Christmas season. They buy presents for one another, go to parties, prepare meals, travel to the homes of loved ones, etc. But they forget to worship the King.
Don't miss the real meaning of Christmas because you are so preoccupied with the good that you neglect the best.
